


Love is Deaf

by majestixia



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Romance, deaf!harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-02-27 07:29:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13243431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majestixia/pseuds/majestixia
Summary: A fic wherein Harry comes back for eighth year deaf. The only people who still talk to him are Hermione and Ron cause everyone else finds it so awkward. Draco watches from afar as Harry writes down all he wants to say, gestures wildly and eventually starts giving up on communicating altogether.One day as they pass each other in the hallway Draco suddenly grabs Harry’s hand, places something in it and then scurries off. Harry looks down and opens a piece of paper that reads ‘meet me in the kitchens for breakfast tomorrow’. Harry has no idea his world is about to change forever.So basically one of the many things Draco had to learn as a child was sign language and he decides to do something crazy and teach Harry.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! So I posted the summary for this story on Tumblr and it received a lot of positive reviews so I thought I would write the story. Hope you guys enjoy :)

Harry let out a silent scream as he fell to the ground, a pain erupting through his back. His hands came out as he caught himself and his bag skidded a few feet away whilst he felt the impact all through his arms and his knees knocked painfully against the ground. It took him a second to register what had happened but when he did he felt arms hook under his and he was pulled up to his feet. He turned and saw Seamus looking alarmed and waving his hands around, his mouth moving quickly as the words spilled out. Harry just bent and picked up his bag and when he straightened up he had a blank expression on his face, looking at Seamus as if he wasn’t even there. Suddenly he felt a hand on his arm and he jumped slightly turning to see whom it was. Hermione was standing there, one hand on her knee and she seemed to be puffing. She looked at him, straightened and took a piece of parchment and quill out of her bag. She placed the parchment on the wall next to them and hurriedly wrote something down then handed the piece to Harry.

 

_Seamus was practising a spell and it went wrong and hit you. He says he’s sorry and we want to know if you’re ok._

 

Harry looked from the paper to his two friends and just gave a little nod. They looked relieved and Harry handed the parchment back to Hermione. He pointed to the front of them and cocked his head slightly, looking at Hermione. Her eyes widened in understanding and she blushed furiously. She opened her mouth to say something but checked herself and started writing again.

 

_I’m going to meet Ron to help him with something_

 

Harry could tell by the furious blush on her face and the fact that she wouldn’t meet his eyes that it was more than just something. He just nodded his head and started walking towards the library, waving goodbye to Seamus and Hermione. They waved back and soon he was around the corner, out of sight.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Harry chuckled as Ron wiped off a bit of gravy that had gotten stuck on his nose. They were sitting at the Gryffindor table in the great hall enjoying some lunch. Harry flickered his eyes towards the Slytherin table and they instantly locked onto that head of ash blonde hair. Draco Malfoy. He was eating an apple, both elbows on the table, his tie just a tad loose and his slender fingers fiddling with the apple stalk. He didn’t wear his hair slicked back anymore but instead let the strands hang over his forehead and they ever so slightly fell onto his eyes. Harry couldn’t see them now but he knew the colour of those eyes from the countless stare downs they had had. Before the war he would say they were the colour of cold, hard steel but he had been thinking about it lately and they seemed more like moonlight, no, _star_ light. Harry barely noticed he had been staring when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked to his side and saw Hermione hold out a piece of parchment to him and he read it.

 

_What are you looking at?_

 

He handed back the paper and shook his head, brushing the question off. Hermione just gave him an intense look before looking at the Slytherin table and back to Harry. She had that look in her eye, the kind she had when she was reading a particularly difficult book. Harry simply looked away and stared down at his plate.

 

Harry started concentrating hard, as hard as he could. His hands gripped the seat beneath him in a death grip and eventually he closed eyes, the will to make it work taking over his whole body. Come on, he thought. But no matter how much he tried nothing happened, the world remained dark and silent. Silence. People didn’t think much of it but to Harry it was everything. Silence wasn’t just absence of noise, no, it was so much more. It was loneliness, the most crippling, extreme loneliness he had ever felt. It was like he was in an abyss and no matter which way he turned there was nothing, just a hollow emptiness. It was also lifeless. Noise meant life, growth, and activity. In this abyss there was no life, no movement, not even a breath of wind. It started growing, reaching into the corners and recesses of Harry’s mind. Quickly he pulled away and slowly came back to the great hall. He gently opened his eyes and immediately they looked beyond his surrounding peers to the one anchor he seemed to have. Those blonde locks, those starry eyes, he didn’t know why but he needed to see them, needed them to know he was ok. And when his eyes locked on _him_ he found those eyes starring right back. Harry flushed and averted his gaze, looking at Hermione and Ron instead. Luckily they were immersed in conversation and didn’t seem to have noticed his episode.

 

Ron gave him a smile when he saw Harry watching and took the parchment Hermione had written on and started writing with the same quill. Hermione had put a spell on two quills so that they didn’t run out of ink specifically for the purpose of writing conversations.

 

_Are we still on for that game of chess?_

 

Harry took the quill from Ron and wrote back.

 

_Only if you come for a fly with me later_

 

Ron read it and nodded his head. They talked like that for a while and though it was allowing them to have a conversation, both boys were getting frustrated. The parchment was quickly filling up, their hands were hurting and they had smudge marks all over their hands. Harry was especially feeling the irritation. If only he could fucking _speak_. If only he wasn’t afraid. He let out a groan and slammed his hands on the table. As he did so his hand hit the edge of his plate and all his food went flying onto the front of his jumper, the gravy smudging as his piece of beef went from his chest and slid all the way down to his lap. Everyone around him was silent as he tried not to scream in annoyance. This was the silence’s entire fault, all because he couldn’t be normal. With a huff he got up, stomped out of the great hall and made his way to the bathrooms.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Draco watched as Harry stomped off. Whilst the other Slytherins around him seemed oblivious to it all, Draco was watching Harry like a hawk. He had also seen Harry just before when he seemed like he was concentrating very hard on something. His eyes had scrunched up and his whole body was tense, Draco got the feeling that Harry was just going deep into his mind. Without saying anything to the others Draco got up and walked out of the great hall. He headed for the bathrooms just as he saw the door shut behind Harry.

 

He got close and leant his head against the door; he could faintly hear water running. All of a sudden the door shook as a force hit it from the other side. Draco jumped back slightly surprised but quickly put his ear to the door again. A series of bumps and bangs could be heard from inside and Draco could only assume that Harry was hitting the walls inside the bathroom. A sudden feeling told him to move away from the door and he listened to it, moving to a nearby corner. A few seconds later Harry bound through the door, looked to the end of the corridor where Draco was hiding just behind the corner and then stomped off.

 

Draco let out a breath he didn’t even know he had been holding in and let himself relax. A frown also marred his face as his brain started whirring. He had seen tear tracks going down Harry’s face, he had been crying. That’s when Draco came to the conclusion: he had to help Harry.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is chapter 2, hope it lives up to expectations and gives some insight into the characters :)

There, Draco had finished the note. He tapped the end of his peacock feather quill against his mouth and hummed. Should he do it? No, it would be ridiculous. But then again, he needed to start making a move, needed to make it clear _somehow_. Ok, he would do it but he’d make it small. So in the corner of the note he quickly scratched something before folding it and putting it in his pocket. He casted a tempus and he almost gasped when he saw what time it was. Not long now and he would have to take his first step in his elaborate plan to help Harry, not that he had told anyone or would even admit that he even thought of Harry as anything other than an ex-rival turned person who just happened to be in his life. If anyone found out about the kind of thoughts he had about Harry late at night, his hand around his dick, god they’d send him to an asylum. After all, how messed up would it be to have a crush on someone you used to bully? No matter how many fantasies Draco had it just wouldn’t happen, not to him anyway. Harry would rather eat a newt than have anything to do with Draco, but still this note would at least do something. He had absolutely no faith in it whatsoever, but he had hit ‘fuck it’ and was done moping around. He was a Malfoy for fuck’s sake, he called the shots and when a Malfoy wanted something they fucking got it. He wasn’t in Slytherin for nothing. But still, Draco was sure even his ancestors would have trouble with this. After all it’s not every day you’re offering your help to the boy who lived.

 

 

 

Draco took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. He was leaning just outside the door to the classroom and all he could focus on was the way his heart was pounding a million miles a minute, his stomach was turning in on itself and his palms were moist. He never recalled feeling this nervous, ever. Fucking Potter, this was his entire fault. He shoved his hands in his pockets and tilted his head back, resting it against the cold bricks. He thought back to his previous encounters with Harry, how the git had a special way of getting on his words. _My father will hear about this_. It had been one of Draco’s favourite things to say to Harry, ironically his father never heard about the things Harry did. Instead Draco would play over the events in his mind at night, thinking of cooler things to say, better ways to have presented himself, stuff like that. But over the years he realised that he focused less and less on himself and more on Harry. The way the wind would play with his hair, the brilliant green of his eyes, his toned and tanned body. At first Draco had been disgusted with himself, revolted at the fact that he couldn’t get Harry out of his mind. But over time he had stopped resisting the thoughts and just let them come. One day, instead of replaying an encounter he imagined something new, something _different_. He imagined Harry smiling at him. That opened a whole new world for him. The rest was history after that, scenario after scenario came into his mind and it was only a matter of time before Draco became obsessed with Harry. The difference between now and his daydreams though was that now he was actually _doing_ something. This wasn’t made up, this wasn’t all in his head, the note in his pocket was real, this corridor was real and…so are those footsteps.

 

Draco lifted his head to see Harry running down the corridor, tucking something into his bag frantically. Draco slowly straightened himself and stood there with a blank expression. Harry was almost at the door before he noticed Draco standing there. Harry slowed to a stop and gave Draco a wary glance before proceeding to open the door.

“Wait,” Draco said and instinctively grabbed Harry’s arm. To say Harry was shocked would be an understatement. He tried to tug his arm out of Draco’s grip but it was surprisingly strong. Draco was just staring down at his hand wrapped around Harry’s arm like it was some kind of alien. Then he seemed to snap out of it and he blushed. Draco Malfoy actually blushed. Draco dragged his hand down Harry’s arm, wrapped his hand over Harry’s, flipped it over and spread his fingers. Draco’s other hand came out from his pocket and he placed the note in Harry’s hand. It was done, there was no more Draco could do. Except, maybe, there was one thing. The idea flitted through Draco’s mind as quick and fleeting as the flap of a butterfly’s wing. Without overthinking it, knowing if he gave it a moment’s thought he wouldn’t go through with it, Draco pulled on Harry’s hand bringing them inches apart. Harry was about half a head shorter than Draco and behind all the nerves and his beating heart Draco could feel a swell of smugness. Not stopping in case he suddenly came to his senses Draco leaned down until his lips were level with Harry’s ear.

 

“I love you”, it was just a whisper but Draco felt Harry shiver. He couldn’t believe he had just done that. He just told the saviour of the wizarding world that he loved him. Draco could feel his blush consuming his whole face. Where had the word love even come from? Draco knew he admired Harry, and he admitted it maybe was a crush, but love? Was it really love that he felt? He had meant to say ‘I like you’ but for some reason ‘love’ had come out. Well whatever it was he didn’t have time to analyse it now. If he stayed any longer Harry would come to his senses and the awkwardness would settle in. So with that he pulled back from Harry and made his way down the corridor towards the dungeons. He would think about what had happened at night when he was laying in bed. That way no one would see his blush or him curling in a ball and cringing at himself. The only thing he could say now is thank god Harry is deaf.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Harry lay in bed, staring at the note. In beautiful, elegant script it read _meet me in the kitchens for breakfast tomorrow –DM_. The words however weren’t what caught Harry’s attention. It was the tiny, neat heart drawn in the corner of the note. Harry ran his thumb over it and swallowed. What had Draco said to him? He had never experienced anything like that moment in his whole life. As soon as Draco had pulled them closer Harry’s heartbeat increased by about a hundred beats per minute. He could suddenly feel the air around them get thick with, he blushed to admit it but, with arousal. Then Draco had leaned oh so close and it had gotten harder to breath. And the scent of Draco had drifted into his nose and seemed to enter his bloodstream. It was like a mixture between sandalwood and mint and Harry had to close his eyes for a second just so he wouldn’t get overwhelmed. It should be illegal for someone to smell so enticing. And it wasn’t just that, even Draco’s grip on his arm had been…different. It didn’t feel threatening or even hurt like he expected it to. Instead it had felt safe and reassuring and like the kind of touch Harry yearned for when he was alone and pined for the company of another.

 

The question that dominated all his thoughts was ‘why?’. Why had Draco suddenly turned up out of the blue and given him this note? Was he planning an ambush? Was he planning to trick Harry into something and make his life more miserable? On the surface Harry wanted to say yes to these questions. After all Draco was a former death eater and the whole time they had been at school together he held nothing but malice for Harry. But deep down Harry knew that just couldn’t be the case. That day in the bathroom, Draco had been crying. Harry doubted many death eaters could shed a tear let alone full on ball their eyes out like Draco had been doing. So there had to be something more to the story, but what, and why now? With all these thoughts buzzing through his head Harry closed his eyes and sighed. It was bad enough that he was deaf now he had to deal with an unpredictable Draco Malfoy. He turned on his side and stared at the note again. Draco couldn’t have accidentally drawn a heart could he? No, it had to mean something, but what? Harry groaned aloud, so many questions and not nearly enough answers. Stupid Malfoy, why’d he have to act now of all times? Especially when Harry had no idea how he felt about him. Deciding it was pointless to carry on like this Harry put the note on his bedside table and tried to get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed, please comment and kudos it is muuuuuuch appreciated and yeah peace


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update this chapter but I hope the content makes up for my shitty uploading

Harry took in a deep breath and clasped his hands together. This was it. He was actually doing this. A part of him felt kind of giddy, he had been observing Draco from afar for so long and now he was actually going to be with him, like in private, like just the two of them. And hopefully it wasn’t just a big prank. Thinking that there was nothing to do but just go for it, Harry opened the door to the kitchens. It was a busy mess inside, house elves running left and right, the smell of bacon, eggs and orange juice penetrating the air. Harry carefully weaved through the crowd, watching the creatures scuttle around his legs, when he finally looked up he saw a couple meters in front of him situated under a large ‘Hogwarts’ crest tapestry was a table. At the table sat none other than Draco Malfoy. Harry felt his breath hitch, as he took in the delectable blonde. He was talking with a house elf, his silver eyes had an amused glint in them and his mouth was quirked in a half smile. His skin looked smooth as the finest silk and it was pale as a full moon’s glow. His hair had the faintest shine to it and it hung in strands over his forehead and Harry suddenly had the urge to push those strands aside and run his fingers through the platinum locks. Harry’s gaze moved down to Draco’s lips and they were the softest of pinks, smooth and a perfect bow shape. They suddenly moved and Harry’s eyes traced their movement, wishing against hope that he could read them, that he could hear that voice. Harry felt a blush come to his cheeks and he quickly ran a hand through his hair, feeling self conscious of his appearance. Here Draco was, appearing so perfect and Harry was just, well, Harry, messy, bland, nothing special. He almost considered turning and just forgetting it all when something hit his forehead. He looked up in surprise and saw Draco smirking at him, a smug glint in his eyes almost as if he was saying ‘I caught you’. Harry looked down to see what had hit him and found a ball of parchment at his feet. He picked it up and unwrapped it only to see that distinctive cursive script.

 

_Scared, Potter?_

Harry looked at it and blinked then looked back up at Draco. There was a challenge in his eyes now and Harry felt himself straighten a little. No way would he be beat my Draco of all people so there was no option now, he had to face his fears and do this, even if Draco’s tie was a whole lot straighter than his. He stalked up to the table and sat on the only other chair, the one opposite Draco. He looked down and saw that the table was filled with neatly stacked parchment; two ink bottles, a peacock feather and an eagle feather. There was also a plate of biscuits, a steaming teapot and two cups, one of which was half full. Harry looked up to Draco and found the other man staring at him steadily, there was no malice in his eyes, no scrutiny, and they weren’t cold as ice. Instead they were soft; there was nervousness there and something else, a kind of vulnerability? Harry couldn’t quite put his finger on it but he knew that these were not the eyes that had stared at him all his school years. No, there was something new, something had caused a spark to ignite in Draco, it’s probably what made him change so much in the time after the war. Harry wondered what could have caused that spark and for a fleeting second he wished it were him. Shaking the thought from his mind he looked to the writing on the parchment still in his hand and bit his lip. Then he reached for the peacock feather quill but his hand was slapped away. He looked up in shock at Draco and scrunched his eyebrows up in confusion. Draco just rolled his eyes and handed Harry the eagle feather quill. Harry huffed out in annoyance. ‘Prick’, he thought but took the quill nevertheless. He smoothed out the parchment and wrote a quick reply. He almost winced at how childish and scratchy his handwriting looked next to Draco’s elegant script but handed the piece over anyway. Draco took it with pale, long fingers and for a second an image flashed through Harry’s mind of those delicate fingers wrapped around his cock, looking so pale in contrast to his tanned skin. Harry shook his head and felt his face erupt in a blush. Draco just looked up at him with an eyebrow raised before returning his attention to the parchment. It read:

 

_What do you want, Malfoy?_

 

Draco just rolled his eyes before picking up his peacock feather quill and writing down a response. He then handed it over to Harry and their fingers brushed softly. Harry’s jaw tightened at the contact, god why did that touch stoke something deep in his gut and make his heart seem like it missed a beat. Without overthinking it he just swallowed and focused on reading.

 

_Despite you being the wonderful, magnificent golden boy it’s obvious you need help and that’s what I’m here for._

 

Harry’s eyes widened in surprise before quickly narrowing in suspicion. He may be daft sometimes but did Draco really think he’d be stupid enough to accept help from him, or to even believe that Draco wanted to help him? Suddenly that day in the bathroom flashed through Harry’s mind and the image of Draco bleeding out on the grotty floor, still as a corpse. The guilt still to this day gnawed at him and some days it seemed like it would swallow him whole. Maybe he should give Draco a chance. He looked up at Draco’s face and though it was blank his eyes were still different, not the same that they had been. Maybe this was Draco’s deluded way of atoning for all those years. Whatever it was Harry was the kind of person to give second chances and though he wouldn’t do it for someone like Lucius or Bellatrix he could see himself doing it for Draco. So with that he picked up his quill and wrote.

 

_And what is it that I need help with?_

 

He passed the parchment back and so it began.

 

_With communicating, obviously._

_I don’t know if it’s gotten through your thick skull yet but I’m deaf. I can’t hear when people speak._

_I’m quite aware of this Potter, what I don’t understand is why you don’t talk._

_That’s private and frankly none of your goddamn business so you can shove off_

_Oh, did I touch a nerve? Come on Potter it’s obvious that going deaf doesn’t affect your speech. Now stop being a pussy and just tell me why you’ve seemed to have lost this very basic ability_

_I don’t have to tell you anything Malfoy and I’m not going to._

With that Harry slammed the parchment on the table and Draco furiously picked it up, scribbling something down and then he held up the parchment.

 

_WHY CAN’T YOU SPEAK?_

 

Harry pulled back in shock. Draco stood up and banged his hand on the table. His mouth opened and he spoke, his expression hard and determined. He banged his fist again and Harry felt a spark of anger. When Draco lent forward and spoke again Harry stood up too and smacked both his palms on the table. He couldn’t fucking hear what part of that didn’t Draco get?! When Harry didn’t do anything else Draco’s eyes sparked and he reached across the table and grabbed Harry’s tie in his hand and pulled Harry close until they were a few inches apart. Harry’s breath hitched and suddenly all he could focus on was Draco’s pink lips moving and speaking. The anger flooded him again and he clenched his fists before he burst.

“Because I’m fucking scared! Do you know what it’s like when you scream and all you can hear is silence? Do you? Do you know how fucking scary it is when no matter how loud you yell or how much you screech you can’t hear your own voice and all you can think about is the deafening silence?” Harry was panting now, his chest heaving up and down and his hands shaking on the table. Draco still held Harry’s tie but his grip had gone slack and his silver eyes were wide, his mouth opened in a shocked ‘o’. Harry closed his eyes, grabbed Draco’s hand and unclasped it from his tie before pushing his chair back and turning to leave. This was useless; he was beyond help. Not even Hermione or Ron knew that he could still speak, they asked him at the beginning but when he evaded the question they let it go and just assumed he couldn’t. But now Draco knew, his archrival, the one person who could use it against him. Just as he was almost at the door he felt a familiar grip on his arm. It was the same grip as yesterday, that same strong, safe hand. Harry stopped mid step but didn’t turn around. The hand on his arm squeezed before a second grip landed on his other arm and then the hands slowly turned him around. Harry was facing Draco who stood with a determined expression on his face. Draco let his arms fall and then he was making shapes and signs with his hands. Harry just looked up at him confused but then Draco handed him a piece of paper, once again displaying his elegant script. Harry read it and felt himself steel in shock.

 

 _I’m going to teach you sign language_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed please do comment and kudos and leave feedback because honestly it makes my day when I see what you guys think of my work and I love it so much. Adios till next time :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyyyy chapter 4!! Bit of a story with this one, I forgot the word for 'smirk' so I made up a word called 'smugged' and used it throughout the whole chapter until I realised at the last second when I was editing and it hit me that that indeed was not the word that I wanted. Anywho, sorry for updating so late but I have a new regime now which means I will *hopefully* be updating sooner!!

Harry stood shell-shocked. Sign language?! What. The. Fuck. Harry looked wide-eyed at Draco then back to the piece of paper then back to Draco. Again, what the fuck? Harry opened his mouth, closed it again and then opened it again, looking a lot like a fish. “Wh-what the fuck, Malfoy? Sign language, you, what! Why would you want to teach me? I thought you hated me. And, and, who the hell would I talk to? No one knows sign language!” Harry couldn’t hear his voice but he was sure that it was filled with incredulity. Malfoy just stood there with his arms crossed and a brow cocked. He walked back to the desk, wrote something down and returned, giving Harry a piece of parchment.

 

_I want to teach you because I owe you. You saved my life in the room of requirement and I want to repay the debt. And as much as it pains me to say it I don’t hate you, Potter, I just find you incredibly annoying and stupid. And you would talk to me of course, honestly you should feel honoured._

Harry scrunched up his brows and looked over Draco’s face. There was no sign of a smirk or a mischievous glint in his eyes, meaning he was in fact serious. Harry needed to sit down. He walked past Draco and sat down on the chair he had occupied earlier. His thoughts were whirring a million miles an hour through his mind and he had to hold his head in his hands as he thought. He felt the chair across from him scrape from it's vibrations, signalling that Draco had sat down too but he couldn’t care less. He was willing to admit that maybe Draco had changed; his own gut and intuition told him that. He could tell by just looking into Draco’s eyes, that harshness, steeliness and overall malice was gone. Instead they were softer, shinier and held something deep, deep within them, like a secret that was just waiting to be unravelled by Harry himself. Harry shook his head a little, if he started going on about those starlight orbs of Draco’s he would never stop. But the thing was, had Draco really changed enough that he would actually, _genuinely_ , help Harry? He didn’t know. But he figured that the only way to find out if someone was trustworthy or not would be just go ahead and trust them. He sighed, this was so confusing. But suddenly another thought popped into his mind: what would Ron and Hermione think? He guessed that when he looked at it practically him learning sign language was a good idea and he was deaf after all. But could he convince his friends that it was a good idea? That would be the hard part. Just when he thought he would drown in all the questions and speculations running through his head Harry felt a soft touch on one of his hands. He lifted his head, startled, and looked up at Draco, then down to his hand. Draco’s pale, slender hand was wrapped around the outer side of his palm, lightly cupping his own hand. Harry lifted his eyes to Draco and for a moment their eyes locked. Harry’s breath hitched. It was like looking into a lake made of molten silver, the light shone off Draco’s irises in the most stunning way, playing with the ripples of starlight. Draco’s eyes bore into his, burning him with their smouldering, penetrating gaze. Harry couldn’t take their intensity anymore and he looked down, seeing their hands still connected. With a blush he pulled his hand back and let both his hands fall into his lap. He peeked up at Draco through his lashes and swallowed before talking.

 

“What did you want?” Draco just handed him a piece of parchment in response and Harry grabbed it.

 

_Do you accept my offer of help?_

 

Harry bit his lip as he read over the words. He was so lost and confused and this was all so sudden he had no idea what to think. He looked up at Draco and thought he would see a hard-set face but what he did see took him by surprise. Draco was also biting his lip but instead of looking at Harry he was looking down at his connected hands and twiddling his thumbs. If Harry didn’t know any better he’d say Draco was _nervous_. It was adorable and unsettling at the same time. Harry blushed when he thought about what had just passed through his mind. Adorable? Draco? No, he was just taken off guard; he didn’t really think that, it was just a moment of confusion is all. Satisfied that it was a temporary slip up, Harry cleared his throat. The question still stood, waiting for an answer. Just as Harry was about to say he declined, obviously it was the most sane and reasonable answer, Draco looked up, connecting their eyes. Harry almost gasped at what he saw. The only way Harry could describe what he saw in Draco’s eyes would be with the word raw. They were still those same shimmering orbs but there was pure emotion embedded in them. Harry scanned them, a million descriptions running through his mind. Fear, determination, nervousness, resolution and something powerful, something that felt like it was there for Harry alone. Harry gulped and without even realising he was doing it he nodded his head. Draco’s eyes widened in surprise at the action and Harry closed his as he realised what he was about to do. He couldn’t ignore those eyes, the emotions displayed in them, the promise they held. So when he opened his eyes again he let one word slip out. “Yes.” Draco’s eyes widened even more, which didn’t seem possible, and he brought his fist up to lips, signalling to Harry that he was clearing his throat. He then grabbed the parchment but before he could write anything Harry slapped his hand down on the parchment, startling the blonde. “I want something in return for letting you pay back your debt,” he said smugly. Draco’s eyes widened then narrowed suspiciously. Harry lifted his hand and signalled Draco to write, which he did.

 

_That not how it works, Potter._

 

“I don’t care, I want something from you, not just the sign language, but something else. Something…personal,” Harry smirked and suddenly Draco looked a bit scared before he wrote again.

 

_What do you want? And just so you know I don’t give out sexual favours to the likes of scar heads._

It took Harry a moment to process what Draco had written but when he did he found himself laughing. He didn’t know why but something about what Draco had written was amusing. What’s more this was the first time he had laughed in ages, and to think it came from none other than Draco himself. A thought popped into Harry’s head. Could it be possible that Draco was, dare he say it, funny? Surely not, after all he didn’t see how someone with a stick so far up their ass could possibly find humour in the world. But alas, here he was, laughing at something that came from Draco. After recovering himself Harry was able to answer without bursting into giggles. “I wasn’t talking about that, ferret, I meant that after every session I get to ask you a question and you _have_ to answer honestly.” Draco sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, his face scrunching up, as he seemed to mull over Harry’s proposition. Harry wondered if Draco was making a humming sound as well, as he did when he was deep in thought, but quickly brushed the thought away. Who cared if he did? Harry certainly wasn’t thinking about putting his hand on Draco’s chest and seeing if it vibrated and fantasising over what his chest would feel like. No, not at all. As if detecting what Harry was thinking Draco leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table, his gaze boring into Harry’s. Draco smirked before grabbing the parchment to write something down, Harry gulped, this couldn’t be good. Draco handed him the paper.

 

_Only if I get to ask a question now._

 

Harry felt a pit of dread form in his stomach. There were probably so many questions Draco had, all of them too personal to even think about. Harry looked up at Draco, trying to gauge something from his expression but all he found was a smug grin and a satisfied glint in those silver eyes. Grunting Harry figured there was no way around it, knowing Draco he would eventually manipulate his way into finding out, he was a Slytherin after all. “Fine, what do you want to know?” He said resignedly, really not wanting to go ahead with this but convinced he had no other choice. Draco’s smirk just got wider and he wrote quickly.

 

_Why are you speaking to me and no one else and will you speak to others when we leave here?_

 

Harry gritted his teeth and tossed the parchment back. Stupid git, that was two questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! All your love and support spurs me on and I read every single comment and read over them when I need motivation to write so please keep them coming I love to hear from you guys and you know kudos are always appreciated as well :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!!! I'm so so so soooo sorry I haven't posted in a while but I fell really ill and wasn't able to write. I hope though I'll be able to write more soon and keep this awesome story going!! Thank you so much for all your patience ^.^

“That’s two questions Malfoy, either pick one or get lost,” Harry said with a hard voice, glaring at the blonde. Draco huffed and turned his head to the side, chewing his lip. A moment later he turned back and just glared at Harry menacingly before turning to write again.

 

_Fine, answer the first question, but be warned I will get everything out of you eventually._

 

Harry sighed but supposed this was the best he would get. After all the git was a Slytherin and they were nasty pieces of work. “Fine,” he said resentfully. “But give me a moment to think about it,” he said as he realised that he actually didn’t have a clear reason for why he was talking to Draco. He ‘hmm’d’ and mulled it over in his mind. Why Draco of all people? He knew why he didn’t talk to Ron and Hermione, it would cause too much trouble and explaining and to be honest he didn’t want their pity. Also they would probably try to fix him and he just couldn’t handle that, eventually he would get frustrated and take it out on them and then they’d fight and it’d end up a big mess and he just couldn’t deal with that. But with Draco, somehow Harry knew that he wouldn’t try to meddle or pry or fix him. Sure he was the only one who knew why Harry didn’t talk but what he did with that information was up to him. Harry knew he should be terrified that his nemesis, the one person who should not know intimate details about him, knew, but he couldn’t muster the fear. Something about the way Draco looked at him, the touch of his hand on Harry’s, even his aura, told Harry that he wouldn’t do anything besides keep the information to himself. With a sigh, Harry decided on his answer, and he smirked at the thought of the look on Draco’s face when he would hear it.

 

“I trust you more than anyone else. Maybe it’s because I stalked you for half my schooling life, I honestly don’t know. But seriously Malfoy you’ve changed, you’re…different and I seriously think you won’t hurt me. I mean throughout the whole war you had so many chances to, you could have wounded me in so many ways, but, you didn’t. And now that there’s this other side to you I feel like no matter what, you want this to stay between us just as much as I do.” Harry couldn’t help the gentle smile that came onto his face as he finished his speech. Every word he spoke was true; he just hoped Draco would believe him. Said man was sitting there, mouth open and eyes wide just starring at Harry like he was a sideshow exhibition. Harry giggled and leaned over the table to slap at Draco’s cheek. “Hey, anyone in there?” He mocked and giggled harder when Draco slapped his hand away and glared at him. Then he grabbed the parchment and wrote, jabbing the quill a little too violently against the parchment.

 

_Geez Potter I knew you were a sap but I didn’t know you were full out maple syrup. I’ll have you know that I haven’t changed one bit; I still think you’re a snarky teacher’s pet who reckons he’s too good for the world. And I don’t know why you would trust me, I’m a Slytherin remember or are you that dumb you forgot?_

 

Harry read over the flowing text and although he had every reason and right to be angry at Draco’s insult he could only smile to himself. He looked up to see Draco’s confused face, which only made him smile wider. “You git, do you really think I believe all this? Look Draco I know you so well, I was your shadow for so long. Believe it or not you _have_ changed and for the better. I don’t care what you say it’s all a façade; you just don’t want to admit that you have a heart and that heart is telling you to help me. After all look at the position we’re in, who initiated it, huh? You did, out of the goodness of your heart.” With that Harry gave Draco a pat on the head, which stunned the other boy immensely, and proceeded to leave. Before he was out of earshot he turned back and gave a little wave, saying, “I’ll see you tomorrow at the same time for our first lesson.” He turned and walked out of the kitchens, feeling satisfied with the slack-jawed expression he had left on Draco’s face.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It wasn’t until lunch that day that Harry finally caught up with Hermione and Ron. He was happy so see his friends after missing them for breakfast and he sat next to Ron facing Hermione. When they first saw him they had smiled and waved but now that he was closer to them he could see nervousness hiding in their eyes and expressions. He decided to ignore it and started filling his plate with food when a piece of parchment slipped in front of him. He recognised the writing as Ron’s messy scrawl.

 

_Where were you at breakfast?_

 

Ron asked and Harry wasn’t sure why he blushed. It wasn’t like Draco and he were doing anything naughty or worth blushing for, they were just innocently discussing Harry learning sign language. For some reason though Harry had a flashback to when he had pat Draco on the head. He hadn’t expected it but the blonde’s hair had been so soft and silky. Harry had lightly moved his hand so the strands fell over and in between his fingers. He could imagine running his hands through those heavenly locks for ages on end. At that thought Harry blushed deeper and came back to the present. He shouldn’t be thinking about Draco that way, it was inappropriate at best and wildly confusing. Realising he was taking a suspiciously long time to answer Ron’s question Harry scribbled down ‘slept in’ and handed the parchment back. Ron didn’t look very convinced but there seemed to be something else on his mind so he didn’t push it just gave Harry an eye roll. Harry went back to eating but he couldn’t help his eyes wondering towards a certain table to look for a certain blonde. When he had scanned the whole table and found no trace of that striking platinum hair he felt crestfallen, before checking himself and telling himself it wasn’t a big deal, it’s not like they were _friends_. Just as Harry started to contemplate what exactly he and Draco were another piece of parchment slipped in front of him, this time it was in Hermione’s neat, slightly cursive script.

 

_We need to tell you something, meet us in the common room after class_

 

Harry curiously looked at his friends but their faces gave nothing away, instead they exchanged a nervous glance. Hermione finished her drink and got up then she waved Harry and Ron goodbye before heading off. Ron and Harry looked at each other and sat in awkward silence. And just because Harry was deaf and he was always surrounded in silence didn’t mean he couldn’t tell when it was awkward. After a few moments Ron finished his lunch and gave Harry a salute before going his own way too. With that Harry was left with his thoughts, wondering deeply about what his friends were keeping from him. Just as he had finished his lunch he looked up and noticed a lithe figure enter the dining hall. Draco walked with poise and elegance to his seat at the Slytherin table and for the first time Harry noticed his figure. He seemed to have filled out so that he had long limbs but they weren’t lanky or disproportionate, they suited his figure well. His torso was slim but Harry could tell that it was well defined under his robes. Overall he looked like a predatory cat, not so much a lion or a tiger but more like an ocelot or a young leopard. Surely Draco must have felt Harry’s eyes on him because as soon as he sat down his eyes went straight to the Gryffindor table and found Harry’s emerald ones. Neither boy looked away so they shared an intense and heated moment of just gazing into each other’s eyes. Then as soon as it had started the moment ended when Draco turned to Pansy who had tapped him on the arm. Harry had to shake his head to rid himself of the intense aura that surrounded his mind. What was all that about? They’d never looked at each other like that before, it was almost like for a moment they were trying to peer into each other’s souls and explore what was to be found there. This then raised the question that Harry had been thinking about earlier: what were he and Draco?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!! And what could Hermione and Ron be keeping from Harry???? Please leave me feedback as I love to hear from you guys!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope that was a good start, please leave me feedback so I can improve and keep motivated lol


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